Dark Seas Russian Imperial Stout | Mission Brewery

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Pours a pitch black, opaque with a reddish-brown head that is gone as quickly as it came. Perfect for a big stout. The smell is dark chocolate, molasses, and a hint of smoke. Taste is heavy char, some coffee that I wasn't expecting, chocolate, and a very dry bitterness that I'm not a big fan of. Full bodied and thick, it's a sipper. But I prefer my stouts with a little softer finish and a touch sweeter.

A- Pours a deep black color with a 1/2 inch medium brown head that retains well before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a full sheet of surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves large clots behind.

T- There's a great sweetness to this that I'm really digging. Reminds me of chocolate ice cream. On top of that are note of vanilla, more caramel and brown sugar. The char isn't as prevalent as it is in the nose. So smooth for the ABV.

M- Creamy and thick with medium carbonation and the fullest of bodies.

O- This is the first Mission beer I've had. The only reason I bought it was because it's the first beer I've seen available to me by them that has a really good score. Makes me curious to try more of their offerings.

Poured from a bottle into a snifter, the beer is an oily, jet black coloring, with a fizzle of short-lived, dark brown head that quickly settles out into a halo. Aromas of booze, molasses, port wine, plums and dates, roasted notes, as well as some bitter chocolate and coffee notes. Flavors are extremely rich and bold forward, with a blast of old world fruit rich and sweet riding on a bitter and roasted coffee backbone. Wow! Molasses richness and booze highlights ribbon throughout the palate, and a warmth builds as you drink. The body is slick and smooth, with a softness to it that increases the drinkability. Roasted and boozy aftertaste heavy on the sweet notes of plum and molasses, with some woody notes in there, too. Slick, lingering rich finish, with that warmth continuing to build. Beast of a beer.